By: Lauren T. Agnew
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced plans to construct a new 7,600-square-foot community center in Essex County Independence Park on Friday, March 31st.
He also recommended naming the building the "Essex County Sheriff Armando and Mary Fontoura Community Center" in honor of the Sheriff and his late wife. The structure would create modern accommodations for residents to gather and experience the park in a new way and provide additional space for community groups who regularly utilize the park.
The project is part of the County Executive's continuing initiative to update park facilities to meet the community's changing needs.
"Sheriff Fontoura and his wife Mary mean so much to the community and have become synonymous with the Ironbound. As I have been building new community centers in our parks, I knew I wanted to name this new building in their honor because of their legacies of helping others," DiVincenzo said.
"The community center has become a hub of activity in Independence Park, but the small size of the current building limits the activities that can be accommodated. Constructing a new facility will provide the space needed and a more welcoming and up-to-date setting for people to enjoy their time in the park," the County Executive said.
"The needs of our residents are always changing, and providing this modern space will give visitors another way to enjoy and experience our park," he added.
"This was the park where it came from when my family immigrated to the United States in 1955. I grew up in this neighborhood and married my wife here. This has been our neighborhood. I am deeply honored. Mary would have been embarrassed, but she would have been pleased. My heart will always be here," said Sheriff Armando Fontoura, whose wife Mary passed away last year.
"We want to recognize Armando and Mary's service, and we want others to remember it as well. Having it on this building will remind residents of their contributions," NJ State and Essex County Democratic Committee Chairman LeRoy Jones said.
"I remember first seeing the Sheriff marching in a parade when I was younger. He and his wife are part of this community and contributed to this community. I look forward to people of all ages visiting this building and benefiting from it," Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin said.
"Naming the community center after two great individuals symbolizes and captures the immigrant experience in Essex County. I am glad to be part of an administration that sees what parks are supposed to represent," said NJ Senate Majority Leader and Deputy Chief of Staff Teresa Ruiz.
"When I started my career in law enforcement as a Sheriff's Officer, the Sheriff was my first boss. He is a son of the Ironbound," Newark East Ward Councilman Michael Silva said.
"I am pleased that we are improving a community asset. It's a great day for the East Ward," added Silva, who Councilmen Anibal Ramos and Luis Quintana joined.
The new community center will be located on the Adams Street side of the park between Nichols Street and Warwick Street. The new building's 7,600 square feet of space will be almost twice as much as the current cinder block community center.
There will be a large room for community events and activities, flexible office space for community groups, interior and exterior storage space, separate interior and exterior restroom facilities, a covered patio area, and a covered entranceway, enabling visitors to be protected from the elements when they are dropped off.
Improvements to the existing concert area behind the building include the installation of a 15-inch-high masonry wall with a decorative veneer, a Flexi pave surface with outdoor games painted on the surface, benches for seating, ornamental lighting, improved pathways, and landscaping.
"This is my home away from home, and I have been coming to this community center since 1996. This is an important building for so many people, and more people will be encouraged to use it when it is improved," said Ironbound resident Mary Azagra.
The new community center in Independence Park will be designed similarly to recent community center projects completed in Essex County Cedar Grove Park, Essex County Watsessing Park in Bloomfield and Essex County Weequahic Park, and Essex County West Side Park in Newark.
New community centers are also being constructed in Essex County Branch Brook Park (Cherry Blossom Welcome Center) in Newark, the Wally Choice Community Center in Essex County Glenfield Park in Montclair, and the D. Bilal Beasley Community Center in Essex County Irvington Park.
PS&S architects from Warren received a professional services contract for $525,000 to design the new community center. A publicly bid contract for $8,927,000 to construct the building was awarded to Grove Contracting LLC from Verona.
The Essex County Department of Public Works will monitor the project to avoid delays. The improvements are being funded with a grant from the State of New Jersey.
Revitalizing Essex County Independence Park
In 2017, a project to modernize the basketball and volleyball courts and a soccer field with new playing surfaces was completed. In 2016, the playground was updated with new apparatus and a rubberized safety surface.
In 2013, the regulation-size soccer field received a new synthetic grass surface playing surface. In 2011, the softball/little league field at the corner of Van Buren Street and Oliver Street was upgraded with an artificial grass surface and new fencing, and the field house was renovated. In 2010, the Senior Building received a comprehensive renovation.
Essex County has worked cooperatively with the Down Neck Sports Community Group and SPARK to receive grant funding from the NJ Green Acres program and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund to fund improvements to Independence Park.
The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system in the United States. It has been expanded to include about 6,000 acres of land. It consists of 23 parks, five reservations, an environmental center, a zoo, an ice skating rink, a roller skating rink, three public golf courses, a golf driving range, a miniature golf course, three dog parks, a castle, and the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens.
At 12.69 acres, Independence Park is the fifth smallest park in the historic Essex County Park System. Land for Independence Park was acquired in 1895.